19 May 2016
An EgyptAir passenger jet carrying 66 passengers has vanished en route to Cairo.
The flight departed from Paris on Wednesday evening and lost contact with ground crews at 2.45am local time, about 16km (10 miles) inside Egyptian airspace.
The 12-year-old Airbus A320-232 was about 40 minutes from its destination. It was the aircraft’s fifth flight of the day, including journeys to Asmara, Eritrea and Carthage in Tunisia.
The airline’s vice-chairman, Ahmed Abdel, told CNN the plane made no distress call.
There were “no recorded snags coming out of Cairo” or reported before leaving Charles de Gaulle, he said.
The captain had also recorded more than 6,000 flying hours, including 2,000 hours in that model, Abdel said. There had not been any special cargo or notification of dangerous goods on board, he added.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/may/19/egyptair-plane-cairo-paris-live-updates
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/05/19/egypt-air-flight-paris-cairo-off-radar/84576294/
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EgyptAir flight missing: What we know now
Jessica Durando, USA TODAY 2:01 a.m. EDT May 19, 2016
An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo went off radar early Thursday morning with 66 people on board. Here's what we know.
What happened to Airbus A320 Flight 804?
The maker of the EgyptAir plane that has gone missing says it’s unclear what happened, according to the Associated Press. EgyptAir says Airbus A320 Flight 804 disappeared on its way to Cairo from Paris. The Boeing 737 normally travels the 1,993-mile distance in four hours and 20 minutes and arrives in Cairo at 3:05 a.m. (9:05 p.m. EST).
Tonight’s flight left Paris about 15 minutes late, according to departure records. The flight was lost from radar at 2:45 a.m. local time, according to the airline.
Airbus spokesman Jacques Rocca said Thursday that the company is aware of the disappearance but “we have no official information at this stage of the certitude of an accident,” the AP reported.
Who was aboard the plane?
The plane had 56 passengers, including one child and two infants, and 10 EgyptAir employees, the airline said via Twitter. EgyptAir tweeted the nationalities of the passengers as follows: 15 from France, 30 from Egypt, one from the U.K, one from Belgium, two from Iraqi, one Kuwaiti, one from Saudi Arabia, one from Sudan, one Chadian, one from Portugal, one from Algeria and one from Canada.
How can family find out more information?
The company has provided free contact numbers for loved ones: 080077770000 from any landline in Egypt and + 202 25989320 outside Egypt or any mobile in Egypt.
When did the plane disappear?
National carrier EgyptAir said the plane was traveling at a height of 37,000 feet and vanished 10 miles after entering Egyptian airspace. According to flightradar24.com, the plane's last known position was above the Mediterranean Sea, Reuters reported. The pilot had 6,000 flight hours, according to AP.
How widely used is the airbus?
The A320 is one of the most used Airbus planes. It is a single-aisle plane that usually seats about 150 people and is used for short- and medium-range flights around the world. Nearly 4,000 are in operation, according the company’s website.
What were the weather conditions?
Conditions were clear and calm when the plane crossed over the Mediterranean Sea, CNN reported.
Who is looking for the missing jet?
Egypt's civil aviation ministry said search and rescue teams were looking for the missing jet. The airline tweeted that special teams from the Egyptian Armed Forces were are at site for inspection and rescue.
Is there any connection to the EgyptAir flight that was hijacked in March?
While we still know nothing for certain, it is highly unlikely the missing flight is connected to the March incident. It involved an Egyptian man who hijacked a passenger jet and forced it to land at Larnaca airport. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said it was related to a woman, not terrorism.
The domestic EgyptAir Airbus 320 Flight 181 was hijacked while flying from Alexandria to Cairo. Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation said there were 81 passengers aboard the jet. No one was harmed in the hijacking. The man, who authorities deemed "psychologically unstable” is in custody in Cyprus.
Received on Thu May 19 2016 - 02:32:55 EDT